Blinking Miliband

Just to remind ourselves exactly what South Shields MP and Foreign Secretary David Miliband was thinking last year, here’s the YouTube video clip of him blinking, and blinking, and blinking making a mess of things with Dimbleby on Question Time. Trouble is, Gordon Brown seems to have messed up things in rather less than then the six or twelve months that David was apparently thinking about!

Now where did I mention things that might come back to bite you on the bum?

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Worst poll ever for Labour

Gordon must be glad that he had no control over the date of the local government elections in South Tyneside and the rest of England and Wales, knowing how decisive and courageous he is he might have decided to have the vote a week later!

The YouGov poll conducted for The Sun newspaper shows that support for the Labour Party is at it’s lowest levels since the 1930s, and the poll suggests that a change in leader would only make matters worse for Labour! The Labour Party is probably less popular now than it was at it’s birth.

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Mistakes, Mistakes

Mr. Bean admits mistakes over 10p Tax rate

So Gordon Brown has had his arm twisted up his back and admitted some mistakes over the 10p tax rate abolition, he told the BBC ” we didn’t cover our arses as well as we should” the losses to low earners.

Not that his admission is going to be a great help to low earners this year, nor will it help the 7m savers, who through no mistake of their own, are just finding out that their pension contributions aren’t going to be high enough because of Gordon’s last Budget.

Ian Naismith, of Scottish Widows, said: “There is no getting away from the fact that this hits just lower-rate taxpayers. It’s rather unfortunate.”

Yes, it’s just another unfortunate mistake that Gordon made as he tries to convince us that he isn’t a tax grabbing over spending old fashioned socialist who loves to accidentally widen the gap between rich and poor. I wonder how many other howlers he’s about to fess up to?

“We’ve taken 7m people out of poverty” he was saying again in the House of Commons at lunchtime, reminding us that he’s thrown millions of pounds at the Post Office just to see them all closed down, created more jobs than the Chinese, that the New deal has saved us all from a banking crisis, world economic collapse, and terrorism too, and all in the last 42 days!

Didn’t he say all that last week, last month, and last year?

Oops, another mistake!

Only the Labour Party can look after the less well off.

Oops, another mistake!

Only we can keep you safe and look after your civil liberties at the same time.

Ops, another mistake!

The Olympics coming to London will have massive benefits for us all, no debt doubt.

Oops, another mistake!

I’m making all of the longer term decisions which might come back to bite me.

Oops, another mistake!

It’s cheaper to drive a family car in Labour’s Britain.

Oops, another mistake!

We’ve doubled council tax like no other government before us!

Oops, another mistake!

We gave you a referendum promise on further European integration.

Oops, another mistake!

As Chancellor, I sold your gold reserves at knock down prices because we didn’t need them.

Oops, another mistake!

I knew nothing about those loans.

Oops, (was that) another mistake?

I am more than a small dot on Robert Mugabe’s map of the world.

Oops, (was that) another mistake?

Our pubs, and clubs are closing down because you can’t smoke there and the drinks are over taxed cleaner and healthier.

Oops (was that) another mistake?

I will always be grateful for the help and support of Lord Levy

Oops, (definitely) another mistake!

It wasn’t my fault gov!

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Miliband’s day trip

Face to face with a suicide bomber!

How did he manage that then?

Took a day trip to heaven or hell perhaps?

Well at least he’s back talking to the Saudi’s but I guess there were no mentions of Princes, Bae, bungs, and large orders for Eurofighters! Probably just swapping notes on Richard Alderman.

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Quote of the day

Independents win this hands down!

I just thought I’d highlight this one single quote from the advertisement open letter placed by the Independent Alliance on page 7 of the printed version of the Shields Gazette this evening. It’s quite an attempt to grab your vote for the elections in South Tyneside next week.

Amongst what they are campaigning for is this gem:

“A borough which has the dynamic developments seen in Gateshead, Newcastle, and Sunderland”

Well, I had to pick myself up off the floor and dry my tears of laughter!

I suppose that explains why, to a man, they have consistently;

• Opposed the four star hotel development planned for Gypsies Green.
• Opposed all developments on or within the sea front parks by blighting future generations with a “village green” status.
• Opposed new developments at the Roman Fort, Arbeia, in South Shields.
• Opposed the Newcastle/Gateshead/Sunderland styled office complex built by CJ Garlands near Market Dock, South Shields.

Now I know I’ve challenged those seeking election to provide us with imaginative policies and a plan that we can approve if they wish to form a majority, but this is stretching the imagination to breaking point.
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We are low paid

Average weekly pay in the North East is lowest in England

We were already aware of that I assume? The average for South Tyneside is £358 a week, and some of us have never earned that amount either!

So why have we got a numpty Labour MP from Blaydon shouting for the government to shift more civil service jobs up here? Does he think that by saturating the market with labour it will force the market price (wage) up? Which school of economics did he go to then?

I think Dave Anderson ought to be getting into Gordon Brown’s face instead to remind him that the so called cutting of income tax from 22p to 20p was nothing less than a huge fraud, because the removal of the 10p tax band has added to the tax misery of millions of low paid workers here in South Shields and the rest of Tyneside.

He should be telling his unelected party leader and Prime Minister that the misery of the low paid millions is a 100% Brown mess!

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South Shields Market

2nd. observation - when is a market not a market?

The answer to that question in relation to South Shields market appears to be:

“Any time after 3.00 pm on Monday, Friday, or Saturday”

This is something that I am increasingly finding a little annoying, I was under the impression that when a trader pays for a pitch on our Market Place in South Shields, they agree to trade up until 4.30 pm. Yet for the past month most stalls have been vacated by 3.00 pm and the Market Place has been deserted by 3.30 pm, yet solicitors working within South Shields Town Hall continue to expend our money protecting this situation with a medieval law reciting the length you can walk with an ass!

One could understand if the weather was atrocious, with howling gales, driving hailstone or torrential downpours, but the last three market days have seen blue skies and pleasant temperatures, so why do they want to be away so early?

I thought we were in the business of trying to attract more shoppers and tourists to the town?

They’d best not decide to travel here on a whim to the market just because it’s a sunny afternoon then.

I’m sure someone will have a word in the most appropriate ears.

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Respect for our veterans

Soldier refused home in Newcastle

It seems to me that our young men and women who serve abroad in the armed services, risking their lives in the pursuit of politicians directives, often suffer a bit of a bad deal at the hands of the rest of society. In this country, we don’t see many parades, for instance, when they return from a conflict area, we don’t see many local regiments enjoying such things as Freedom of the Borough type ceremonies, and indeed we don’t offer a great deal of respect to serving officers who happen to dress in uniform in our towns and cities.

Now I read that Newcastle Your Homes are turning away Corporal Mark Atkinson who is looking to set up a home for his partner and children aftrer serving in Northern Ireland, Bosnia, and Iraq. With nine years left to serve in the army, Cpl Atkinson said he wants to know his partner and children are safe while he is away on duty.

I find it really quite shocking that in towns, cities, and shires along the length and breadth of Britain we do not have in place some form of preferential treatment for our veteran servicemen and women, some councils do have procedures in place but they are few and far between. perhaps South Tyneside ought to step in to offer him a home, (and to thumb the nose at our larger neighbour), I’ll have to go back and check, but I’m sure that in a previous post about South Tyneside Homes I saw reference to servicemen in the “Your Choice” scheme.

It worries me that we tend to show so much disdain for our own young men and women who serve the country in a professional manner in areas where they have no choice but to go. It galls even more when one considers that Mark Atkinson is a Tynesider by birth.

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PM’s a snore bore

Gordon Brown in the USA

Gordo is going down a storm in the USA, here he is at the UN, the press are busy following the Pontiff.

Apparently our hapless PM has just appointed a new image consultant - working a treat, eh?

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Racist?

Downs Syndrome boy charged

I’m finding it incredibly difficult to prevent the steam from escaping my ears after reading this howler about an eighteen year old boy who has Downs Syndrome, with a mental age of five, being charged with a racially motivated assault and a breach of the peace. How the hell did it take 7 1/2 months for the ridiculous charge to be dropped?

Heads ought to roll in Strathclyde Police and the Scottish Procurator Fiscal’s office for this gross insensitivity.

This is yet another illustration of how some in this once free and fair country of ours find it so easy to throw about wild and unfounded allegations of racism and somehow hope that in the fullness of time they will be quietly forgotten about, I’m glad that Fiona Bauld and her legal representative persisted in keeping up the pressure to ensure the correct outcome, it’s no fun being on the receiving end of a scurrilous racist charge no matter who you are, or whatever age you are.

On March 31st. I made a post suggesting that Max Mosley the head of the FIA should quit his position over a private matter which will affect his public standing, it was accompanied by a satirical picture and drew a response from a certain Big Al asking if my father was at this Nazi rally and suggesting that I have racist leanings (without any attempt to justify or produce evidence to back it up). On April 1st. I made a post regarding the Fitna film by Dutch MP Geert Wilders involving a temporary censorship by British company Live Leak, again a Big Al jumped in accusing me of being racist and having anti muslim sentiments, he also asked if I am a member of the BNP. Once again these accusations are totally without foundation or evidence of any kind to support them.

I know exactly the IP address of Big Al (who foolishly tried to hide behind an insecure http proxy server) and immediately emailed the person who I believe posted those ridiculous, scurrilous, and libellous comments, a vehement denial by telephone followed soon after. I have given Big Al another opportunity to confirm the IP address since than with a request that the comments be withdrawn and an apology offered, so far Big Al has failed to respond.

Big Al in his telephone conversation also stated quite clearly and emphatically that he does not comment on this blog, nor others, and certainly does not comment under a variety of pseudonyms.

Tomorrow, unless an apology and a request to withdraw the remarks is made overnight, I will post the voicemail message that Big Al voluntarily left on my phone, I will also publish the evidence that I have with regard to the use of a variety of pseudonyms used by Big Al on another web blog, and link them firmly to the same IP address used to post the comments on this site.

I will also name Big Al using evidence of previous comments posted on this website using the same IP address.

I firmly believe that it is in the public interest to name Big Al, his “electronic fingerprints” are all over the libellous comments left here and other comments left under different names at another place. They are wholly at odds with, and totally inconsistent with, his clear statement made to me by telephone and with a public position that he has made on many occasions.

Unless Big Al takes steps NOW to rectify these dreadful comments, then I’m afraid I will have to tell the world who I believe has been responsible and support it with solid evidence. There is no such thing as anonymity for those who think they can throw about grossly unfounded, untrue, malicious, and hurtful remarks on the internet. Not only has he maligned me, he has also involved my 77 year old Jarrow born father who grew up in England during the Second World War (his father was a serving soldier in the defence of the King and country.)

Like Fiona Bauld, I do not intend to let this matter of a racist charge rest.

Stay tuned.

Related Posts

• A word to “Big Al”
• The response to the “Big Al” comments

Update

Negotiations between two parties are currently under way with the hope of reaching an amicable solution to this impasse. Therefore, to ease and facilitate this process, no further comment on this topic will be made as we attempt to reach a mutually satisfying outcome.
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